Two Elements to Becoming an Effective Salesperson

By Bryan Flanagan

There were two elements that contributed to my becoming an effective salesperson: 1.) Learning my profession and 2.) Respecting my profession.

Learning My Profession

You never graduate from selling.  You are always growing.  Successful salespeople invest in themselves by learning and studying their profession.  There were a couple of things I learned from this.  One, you should invest more in yourself than you do in your career.  You should, no, you must, be a constant student.   School is never out for the professional.  Enroll in “Automobile University.”  By that I mean use your car as a learning chamber.  Listen to podcasts and recordings that will not only give you a motivational lift, but will prepare you for your sales day, for your next sales call, for your trip home to the family.  The reason I encourage you to invest in yourself is this: Personal growth precedes professional growth.  Better people build better sales professionals.

Respecting  My Profession

Selling is an honorable profession because selling is something you do with the prospect, not to the prospect.  If the sales transaction is not mutually benefitting you and the prospect, then cease your selling activities, ask for a referral, thank the prospect for his or her time, and conclude the interview. 

Let me give you an example.  I was training new luxury car salespeople over a period of several weeks.  I noticed one young man who was still struggling with the title of “car salesman” and with the challenge of working on straight commission.  During class I asked if he would role play with me on three questions.  I asked him to think of a client to whom he had sold a car four or five months earlier.  When he said he had one in mind, I then asked three questions:

1. Does the person still drive the car you sold him?  The answer was yes.
2. Do you still have all the commission you made when you sold the car?  The answer was no.
3. The last question: Who got the best deal, you or the client?  The answer was, of course, the client.

Because of the sales efforts of this young car salesman, the client will enjoy the value of the transaction for years to come.  The car owner has a long-term benefit.  The salesman has a benefit, but it is not as long-term. 

I have the same question for you: when you sell your product or service, who gets the best deal?  The answer is the client (I’ll help you with the difficult questions…).

Take pride in the fact that you can positively impact the lives of your prospects.  If you are a commissioned salesperson, you never get paid until you’ve helped some other person (your prospect) improve his or her life in some fashion.  Yes, selling is a great profession!

This article is an excerpt from the new So, You’re New to Sales book by Bryan Flanagan. Bryan is the Sales Ambassador and the Premiere Sales Trainer at Ziglar, Inc.

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Humor Break

Why you should leave the sports to the pros…

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 This newsletter is published by Ziglar, Inc.  Visit us at Ziglar.com.

When to Answer Objections

By Bryan Flanagan

You have several options in handling an objection.

1. Address the objection before it arises.   If you know your product or service may have a feature or a function that causes concern, you can anticipate the concern and address it prior to the prospect bringing it up.  For example, you are experiencing a delay in the shipping of the product.  You can address the shipping delay by saying, “Once your model leaves our plant, you are assured that it has been inspected and tested by three technicians on seven functional tests.  You are assured of a quality product.  That is why our ship dates are three to four weeks.”  The strategies behind this are to address any disadvantages early, provide a reason for the delivery delay, and to assure the prospect that although he may have to wait longer, the attention to quality makes it worth the wait.

2. Address the objection at the time it is voiced by the prospect.  During the demonstration, your prospect says the system looks more difficult to operate than the current system being used.  You may want to address the concern at that time.  To do so, you implement a process.  I’ll cover the process I use in another newsletter edition.

3.  Ask permission from the prospect to address the concern at a more appropriate time.  In other words, if you know you are going to cover that concern later in your presentation or demonstration, you can ask, “Ms. Prospect, when we cover the investment area, we will address your concern.  May I have your okay to address it then?”

If you continue to receive the same objection during your presentations, you should review the structure and flow of your presentation.  This will allow you to identify why the same objection is being voiced.  Perhaps you are causing the prospect to question an aspect of your product or service.  It could result from miscommunication on your part!

You should not be hesitant to address objections.  If you are truly concerned with the prospect’s well-being, then you should welcome objections.  However, you must know your product, your prospect, and your sales process well enough to determine the appropriate time to confront the objection.

Now, go sell somebody something!

This article is an excerpt from the new So, You’re New to Sales book by Bryan Flanagan. Bryan is the Sales Ambassador and the Premiere Sales Trainer at Ziglar, Inc.

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Humor Break

Q:  Why are baseball players so rich?

A:  Because they play on diamonds!

This newsletter is publsihed by Ziglar, Inc.  Visit us at Ziglar.com.

Objections: Friend or Foe?

By Bryan Flanagan

Objections are your friends!  You should welcome objections, as they often indicate the interest level of your prospect.  Some sales objections and some sales resistance are normal and desirable.  Why?  Because the objections indicate the prospect is evaluating your recommendation and is trying to relate it to his or her situation.

Objections can be your foe if you aren’t prepared to mange them.  That is, they will be troublesome if you don’t have an effective methodology to confront the resistance.

An objection is defined as anything the prospect says or does that interferes with attaining your sales objective.  To turn objections from foe to friend, you must possess the skill to understand and identify the prospect’s concerns in a professional manner.

Points to Ponder About Objections

There are several traits or characteristics of objections to consider:

1. Objections can occur anywhere in the sales process.  They don’t appear just at the closing stages of the call.  On my first visit to an account in my new IBM territory, the customer met me and said, “I don’t like IBM right now and I’m not wild about you, pal!”  This is before he’d spent 15 seconds with me!

2. Anticipate objections and be prepared for them.  If you are selling elephants, you are going to encounter three basic objections: Where does he sleep?  How much does he eat?  Who cleans up after him?  Use the “Law of 6” to anticipate objections.  You will receive approximately 6 standard objections … be prepared for them.

3. Objections are either valid or invalid.  You only want to address the valid objections.  Answering invalid objections will waste your time and frustrate the prospect.

4. There are two types of valid objections: misunderstandings and disadvantages.  In overcoming misunderstandings, you must accept full responsibility for the miscommunication and clarify as quickly as possible.  In overcoming disadvantages, you must outweigh the disadvantages by using specific benefits of your products and services.

5. Prospects will make a new decision only when presented with NEW INFORMATION!  Therefore, if you make a return call on a prospect, you should present new information.  If not, you’ll receive the same response. 

6. You must provide evidence in order to overcome objections.  Your challenge is to identify the proper evidence to use when overcoming various objections.

7. There are two aspects in successfully dealing with objections: managing and overcoming.  You should first manage the objection and then overcome it!  You shouldn’t try to overcome it until you have managed it!

Embrace objections as an indication that your prospect is interested in you and what you are offering. 

Now, go sell somebody something!

This article is an excerpt from the new So, You’re New to Sales book by Bryan Flanagan. Bryan is the Sales Ambassador and the Premiere Sales Trainer at Ziglar, Inc.

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Humor Break

What did the hungry computer say?

“I could go for a byte!”

This newsletter is published by Ziglar, Inc.  Visit us at Ziglar.com.

Why do you ask the prospect to buy from you?

By Bryan Flanagan

You ask people to buy from you so you can feed your family, not your ego! 

That may seem harsh. However, there is great truth in that statement.  Here’s why.  If you are worried that hearing “no” is going to bruise your ego, you may be hesitant to ask for the objective.  If that is the case, you are not putting bread on the table for your family.  The reason you ask the prospect to buy from you is so he or she can solve a problem and benefit from your solution.  Selling is not something you do to the prospect; it is something you do with the prospect.  Through your hard work and selling efforts you are trying to improve the prospect’s current situation.  You should be proud to be in a profession that has that as a focus.  (Selling is an honorable profession!)  And when you improve someone’s current situation, you are rewarded as well.  Not a bad deal!

If your product is not going to improve the prospect’s current situation, you should cease your selling activities, ask for a referral, thank him or her for the time, and leave!

Closing is the logical conclusion to your selling efforts as you and the prospect travel through the sales process.  By communicating your value to your prospect and linking that value to his or her needs, you have every right to ask for the objective. 

Remember, the intent behind your technique determines your ethics.  If you know your solution will benefit the prospect, then you should ask him or her to buy your solution.   So, the reason you should ask for the objective is to feed your family and to accomplish your personal and professional goals.  Your ego will be fine.  Trust me.

What happen when the answer is no?
When you ask for the objective and the prospect says “yes,” YOU WIN! 

But, what happens when you ask for the order and you don’t get it?  (Trust me, there will be times when the prospect says “no.”)

Key point: When you ask for the objective and the prospect says “no,” YOU BREAK EVEN.  That’s right you don’t lose, YOU BREAK EVEN!

When you ask someone to buy from you, you are doing your job!  No one can get upset at you if you are doing your job.  Of course, you have to do your job professionally, but you are only doing your job when you ask people to purchase from you.  Therefore, you break even if you ask and hear “no.”  Don’t take it personally.

Now, go sell somebody something!

This article is an excerpt from the new So, You’re New to Sales book by Bryan Flanagan. Bryan is the Sales Ambassador and the Premiere Sales Trainer at Ziglar, Inc.

Success 2.0

FREE Webcast

Building a Team that Works Without You

Presented by Bryan Dodge

January 11, 2012

2:00-3:00 pm CST

Register now!

Ziglar Recommends

The 2012 Born To Win Business Planning Conference

January 27-28, 2012
Nashville, TN

Do you have a complete, clearly defined, written 12 month business plan? Sadly, most small business owners don’t. Sad, because a focused plan can make the difference between barely getting by and huge success.

Finally Get Focused, Organized and Systematized… Start Reaching Your Goals in Life and in Business… And Live the Life You’ve Always Imagined…
Find out more…

Humor Break

Cute video of dogs decorating a Christmas tree: http://youtu.be/AUtPKbMwnRo

This newspaper is published by Ziglar, Inc.  Visit us at our website: Ziglar.com.

Ache Versus Pain

By Bryan Flanagan

How much money do you make on the sales you almost close?  I mean, when you get really close?  When the prospect is about to sign the agreement, or is about to say “yes” but suddenly changes her mind.  How much money do you make when the sale is that close?

That’s right … you make the same amount of money as I do on the sales I almost close—zero, nada, zip!

So, do you ever wonder why you don’t win more of the “close ones”?  The answer may be the difference between “ache” and “pain.”

Most prospects don’t take action until they are in enough “pain” to change their current situation. In other words, the prospects’ proverbial light bulbs are not fully illuminated.  They may have some discomfort; they may have some pain.  But they are not hurting enough to discontinue using the incumbent competitor and switch to your company.  Perhaps this story will illustrate the point.
Two West Texas ranchers were talking one afternoon.  The visiting rancher noticed his friend’s dog lying on the porch. The dog was moaning.  He asked, “Why is your dog moaning?”  The answer, “Well, he’s lying on a nail.  But he’s not in enough pain to move!”

Until your prospect is in “enough pain to move” (to take action), the prospect will not change and will not agree to buy your product or service.  Your challenge, as a sales professional, is to uncover the prospect’s pain.  In order to achieve this, you must assist the prospect in becoming aware of the existing needs, the existing “pain.”  This is achieved by asking appropriate questions.

The questions are intended to move the prospect from being in an “ache position” to a “pain position.”  Once the prospect is in pain, your chances of winning the business are increased.  This week ask focused questions to get your prospect in a position to change.

This article is an excerpt from the new So, You’re New to Sales book by Bryan Flanagan. Bryan is the Sales Ambassador and the Premiere Sales Trainer at Ziglar, Inc.

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Humor Break

Dogs dining in a restaurant - funny video!

This newsletter is published by Ziglar, Inc.  Visit us at Ziglar.com.